The other morning, I had taken my prayer journal out to the back porch for some quiet time in prayer.  The porch is one of my favorite places to go for some peace and quiet.  As I began my time in prayer, a thunderstorm approached.  Lightning struck and thunder growled as I prayed.  I love thunderstorms.  I enjoy watching lightning as much as I enjoy watching fireworks.  I also love the crack and rumble of thunder and how it reverberates through the ground and in my bones. 

It became one of those magical moments with God.  I was surrounded by tangible signs of His power.  I was experiencing it.  As I heard and felt the thunder reverberate through my body, I called on God to work His power in marriages, meet people in pain and suffering, and provide healing in difficult relationships.  It was an intense experience as I felt the power of prayer and the power of God merge.

I had entered this time of prayer discouraged and spent.  During the storm, the rain poured down, a visible reminder of God’s promise to abundantly and generously fill us with His Spirit.  The Spirit brings life as the rains bring life to the earth.  It quenches the thirsty and revives the faint.  I went about my day encouraged and refreshed.

Prayer is powerful.  This is probably something you already believe; something I don’t need to expand upon.  As I’ve explored this truth, I’ve found that, though I believe it to be true, I have undermined and belittled the power of prayer and the power of God.  It’s the little things I’ve done and said that minimize prayer and God.

For example, awhile ago I said, “Let me pray real quick and then we’ll get started.”  What message does that portray?  It places the importance on the activity to come and minimizes prayer.  The prayer becomes an obligatory action, almost a nuisance or hindrance to the activity to come.  Instead, prayer should be an anchor, the foundation of moving forward. 

On the way to school, my boys and I share prayer requests and pray together.  My oldest son wanted us to pray that everyone would stay safe in PE class.  During my prayer I said, “Lord, we pray that You would just…”  And then I paused.  I paused because of the “just.”  It was another means by which I minimized the power of prayer.  “Just” is common to hear in prayers.  It’s also contagious.  Why does “just” minimize prayer?  Here are some synonyms for just:  only, merely, simply, nothing else.  Is this to be our attitude in prayer?  No!  We are to be bold!  What does a “just” prayer say about God?  It infers that perhaps God may be too busy, the request may be inconvenient or absurd, or that God may not be able to do more.  I changed my prayer to, “God, we pray that you would not only protect the kids during PE, but also in recess and throughout the day.”

A few years ago, I started a prayer journal.  Prayer journaling is helpful to me because it:
1.  Keeps people on my mind and heart,
2.  I can write down how God worked and answered, and
3.  It helps me be consistent in praying for long-term needs.

Keep praying!  Prayer is powerful, not necessarily instant.  I have one prayer that I prayed for three years.  I had a bad habit of chewing ice and drinking too much soda.  This may seem trivial, but it was destructive.  I couldn’t stop.  Recently, I found out that I’m anemic and started taking iron.  My desire to chew ice vanished and I now find soft drinks to be too sweet.  God answered a prayer to which I saw no solution.  He didn’t make the desire miraculously vanish, although He could have.  Many times, God involves people to answer our prayers.  We should let those people know that they were an answer to prayer!  It encourages people to continue to use their gifts, skills, and talents.  God works in all kinds of ways.  He is powerful.  Prayer is powerful.  May our words and actions reflect that truth.

Let us reflect on these passages this week:
Ephesians 3:14-21
Psalm 29
Isaiah 40:25-31
Psalm 68:28-35
James 5:13-18

Originally posted on August 26, 2019.